---
title: "request_timeout"
description: "Request took too long to process and exceeded the server timeout"
---

<Danger>`err:user:bad_request:request_timeout`</Danger>

```json Example
{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_4dgzrNP3Je5mU1tD"
  },
  "error": {
    "detail": "Request timeout",
    "status": 408,
    "title": "Request Timeout",
    "type": "https://unkey.com/docs/errors/user/bad_request/request_timeout",
    "errors": []
  }
}
```

## What Happened?

Your request took too long to process and was automatically terminated by the server. This typically happens when:

- Database queries are running slowly
- External services are responding slowly
- The API is under heavy load
- Network connectivity issues are causing delays

## How to Fix It

### 1. Retry the Request

Most timeout errors are temporary. Simply retry your request after a short delay with exponential backoff (wait longer after each failed attempt).

### 2. Check Your Network

Slow or unstable network connections can cause timeouts:

- Test from a different network or location
- Check if you're experiencing high latency to our servers

## When This Happens Often

If you're seeing frequent timeout errors:

### Check Our Status Page
Visit [status.unkey.com](https://status.unkey.com) to see if we're experiencing any service issues.

### Contact Support
<Note>
**Still having issues?** We're here to help!

[Contact our support team](mailto:support@unkey.dev) and include:
- Your request IDs from the error responses
- The approximate time the errors occurred
- Your typical request patterns and volume

We can investigate what might be causing the slowdowns and help optimize your integration.
</Note>

## Difference from Other Timeout Errors

- **408 Request Timeout**: The server took too long to process your request (this error)
- **499 Client Closed Request**: Your client cancelled the request before the server finished
- **504 Gateway Timeout**: An upstream service (like a database) timed out

If you're seeing 408 errors, the issue is usually on our side or with network connectivity.